I was walking this morning and was praying. I asked the Lord
if I could please start off today with a plea. Usually I start with praise and
thanks for the blessings that I am enjoying and for the wonderful plans I know
He has for me. But today was different. I was pleading with the Lord to relieve
me from a situation that I was unhappy with, and to bring a particular blessing
into my life. As I continued to pray, He ministered to me through His Spirit.
He reminded me that it is not His primary desire for His children to be
immediately relieved from every trouble they encounter but that in the midst of
it, He is not only with us but He is also strengthening us. In trials we grow
when we stay committed to Him. Further, although I desire a particular
circumstance, I know that God’s will is perfect for me. I may THINK that I want
a particular thing to happen, but if I knew what He knows, I may not want what
I’m asking for. We ask in the dark because, unlike God, we don’t know
everything. If we knew, we may change our plea. Thus, we pray (and my prayer
became) “not my will Lord, but Yours be done”. I know, as I have shared with
you before, that I deeply desire control and it has to be a daily intention of
my heart to relinquish the stress of erroneously thinking I can control or even
understand everything.
So I arrive at home after my walk and open up the Word. The
Lord also led me to a study that included Psalm 16 and He encouraged me with
these words from verses 9-11: Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the
realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known
to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with
eternal pleasures at your right hand.
The whole of Psalm 16 was used as part of a devotion
regarding contentment in all circumstances. The Lord continued to speak to my
heart. And as I got ready to hit the shower and make breakfast, He said to me
“Nothing has changed.” I can still be just as content in this challenging
season as I have been during times of peace because He has not changed. The One
in whom I hope, the One in whom I can depend, the One who makes my paths
straight…He has not changed. He is the same God as He was when I was feeling
all prosperous and happy. He is the same….my circumstances have changed…but He
is the same. Because of this, I can place my hope in Him. Because of this, I
can walk in joy and contentment. HE HAS NOT CHANGED!
The devotion quoted philosopher Anicus Boethius who said,
“Nothing is miserable but what is thought so, and contrariwise, every estate is
happy if he that bears it be content.”
Oh my! Nothing is miserable except for what I think is
miserable??? Every state that I find myself in is a happy state if I am in a
content state of mind??? Paul said it this way “I am not saying this because I
am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know
what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned
the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or
hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who
gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)
Our precious Lord strengthens us, allowing us to experience
contentment in and through and with Him regardless of the circumstances
surrounding us.
So I will continue to pray and ask for what I want (with my
limited knowledge) and, even more so, what I believe the Lord desires, but not
with an attitude of anguish or anxiety over my present state. Rather, as the
Word tells us, with prayer and supplication AND THANKSGIVING, I am making my
requests known to our Father and thanking Him for His peace.
Content…no matter what.
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